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Appearance - Black as night with a tight, blackened head that seemed to last forever. As I made it halfway through the glass by the end of this taste, I also noticed some serious sediment at the bottom of this glass, which is understandable for a brew that was bottled almost two years ago.

Smell - This is terrific. Big aromas abound. The sharp oak-aged port scent comes out right away, followed closely by the lovely smell of cherries dipped in fine chocolate. The roasted malt announces itself as well along with the presence of alcohol. There are a plethora of other fragrances in this glass, but these are the dominant ones that I could readily identify.

Taste - The wonderful burnt malt flavor picks up the pace here. The afore-mentioned chocolate-covered cherry flavor continues from the nose, complimented at the tongue by fine, dark-roasted, shaded Columbian coffee poured just moments after pressing. Notes of alcohol come and go as well, warning the drinker to keep it slow.

I should say that all of these flavors, and many others that I am unable to articulate, are very crisp, refined, and distinctive. This stout screams, "quality," with every sip. I usually don't care for a leaning emphasis on fruits for this style, but this was artfully executed.

Mouthfeel - Low carbonation in accordance with the style. The sharp flavors were exhilarating on the tongue and cheeks, and the alcohol notes played well to the roasted nature of this brew.

Drinkability - This was a tremendous experience. It was smooth enough to go down well yet complex enough to keep one entertained.

Comments - I popped this old Batch No. 3 (bottled November 2001) to prost the birth of williamstout's new son, Riley. Congrats on the new addition to the family, bro!

Admin Note -This review got moved into the non barrel-aged category so I had to delete, recreate, etc. It's dated 10/15/10 but I actually wrote and posted it in March 2003.

Thanks Joe( bucketboy )for bringing this one out. Never even heard of this before tonight but glad we were introduced Appearance- black with a quarter inch of tan head Nose- roasted nuts, cherry wood,cocoa powder Taste- wow....huge roasted flavor of almond,walnuts covered in chocolate, taste of dark fruit is suttle. Slightly vineous with bitter after taste. Reduced grape reduction with warm caramel on top Ridiculous

Batch #3, November 2001. Aged roughly 3 years. Absolutely stunning!!! The opaque black body reveals only minor glints of ruby at the sides and base of the glass, and its frothy dark-tan head seems to hold on forever. The lacing, however, is limited; but that's to be expected in a high alcohol brew. The nose suggests bourbon, cocoa-ish malt, vanilla, and a touch of alcohol-soaked summer fruit. The body is full and rich with a smooth and creamy feel, and it very subtly tingles the tongue before it slides dextrinously away. Rich notes of bourbon dominate the flavor amidst a solid layer of leafy and somewhat pine-like hops and slick, dark chocolate, molasses, and alcohol. And despite the richness of its malt, the alcohol become apparent at mid-swallow and lingers into the aftertaste. Notes of fig and prune appear as well. Well done, and this is certainly a beer to cellar for at least a year. Still, worth trying even fresh!

Appearance - Pours black with a great mocha head. Good retention. Nice thick collar. Good wisps.

Smell - A touch of acidity. Lots of wine notes. Chocolatey with dark fruits. Oxidized, but it adds a nice dimension.

Taste - Everything comes together perfectly here. Really rich chocolate. Wine is distinctive, but less acidic. Leaning more towards the fruit flavor of the wine. Still very oxidized, but again I think it plays very well.

Mouthfeel - No booze. The body has dropped off, but it seems to just make it easier to drink.

The body is deep black and holds a head that is initially two fingers thick, but compresses to a tight, creamy mocha color that is about index finger sized. Once settles the head is quite lasting.

Aroma is chocolate, mild sour notes, lactose, pineapple, cocoa, malted milk balls and vanilla. The fore presents a big blast of red wine followed by tart fruits, pineapple, mild sour tartness, vanilla and oak which really starts in the middle and goes into the finish. There are note of coarse sweet cream and chocolate in the far aftertaste. Very enjoyable beer that mellowed out nice and smooth.

Thanks for the bottle Andrew! Opaque oily pour, creamy mocha ring, with nice spotty, dotted lace. Huge oak, woody, vanilla, cabernet aromas, with mild roasted malt and lots of deep rooted dark fruit. Flavours are tannic, vinious, and I picked up english style hops as opposed to the american bad boys that are in this thing. Lots of vanilla, wood. Very subtle, and certainly a sipper, but good for the strength. Id like some more please.

Big thanks to Alex for sharing a bottle I really didn't think I'd ever come across. Tasted at the post-Christmas tasting in Chicago. Served in my Cantillon tulip.

Pours near black with a pretty good tan head and a than cap as that falls down. The nose is really quite complex with a nice amount of the red wine place some nice fruit and sweet malt plus a bit of chocolate. The taste is really nice and I love the red-wine character in this one. Really complex and smooth. The mouthfeel is pretty full and has held up well over time. Really quite drinkable and tasty; I'm really glad I got to try this.

Poured with a large, thick brown head. With the strong wine smell, you can definitely tell this was aged in Wine casks. Vinous. Other aromas; roasted, woody/oak, coffee, sweet and woody. Stronger wine flavor with subtle hints of coffee, molasses, vanilla, and wood.

Thanks to Alex for sharing this one side by side with the non-BA version.

A - Black beer with a two finger tan head that faded to a cap with some nice lacing. A pretty impressive looking beer.

S - Oak, roast, chocolate, some vinous notes, oak, vanilla. There's some slight oxidation but it's not ba at all. Has a lot of things going on that all work well together.

T - A little sweet, with chocolate, barrel, some bourbon, roast. Tastes quite nice and balanced. Really have no complaints on this one other than the slight bit of oxidation.

M - Smooth, full bodied, lower carbonation.

O - Great beer, past it's prime, but really hasn't lost much that I can tell. The vinous qualities, although not as present in the taste, give it a uniqueness that sets it apart from most other barrel aged RIS.

S - Dark burnt sugar malts, , bing cherry liqueur, 70% cocoa powder, cab finish with a hit of oak. A touch of chalk hints toward oxidation, but just enough that it makes it seem older but not deleterious at all. Just under vibrant after 12 years.

T - What a delicious beer, cleaely pristinely cellared. Black cherry liquer, bitterswet chocolate, cabernet grapes on the front with a lovely cab vinous oak finish. Really delicious, my favorite of the night (beating out Beatification b2 by a fair margin). Still hop finish to hold it together. So good!

M - surprisingly assertive bubbles, slick on the tongue in a mout-coating way. I expected smoother for such a vintage, really has held up eautifully.

O - I really loved this beer. Just a touch of the cabernet, may not have guessed it right off, but the vinous ptesence makes itself known in a delightful way. So damn good, so well cellared, wish I had another bottle. Win! Seek this out if you have the chance.

S: The wine notes really come through quite strongly on this beer. Lots of red fruits and grape aromas along with the expected roasted malts and chocolate. There is a touch of vanilla as well as some oak.

T: A light booziness to the flavor, but otherwise quite good. Lots of roasted malt and chocolate flavors along with tons of wine, berries, and a bit of molasses. Some lightly charred oak with a light tannic feel to it.

M: A really sticky feel on the tongue with a very long finish. Quite nice.

O: Much better than the regular Poseidon, and better than the BA Leviathan I tried previously.

Enormous thanks to Gregg for sending this one to me. Batch 3 bottled in November 2001, aged in Washington Cabernet barrels. Cracked at DLD on April 27th, 2013 and poured into a snifter.

A - I tried Moscatel BA Dark Lord right before cracking this, and they coincidentally look very similar. A red-ruby hue surrounds a flatter macassar ebony coloring. Just a ring of a head here, probably died off like 7 years ago. Not a lot of heft to this.